THeMIS UGV finishes stint in Mali
Milrem Robotics confirmed on 5 May that its THeMIS UGV has completed its first deployment to Mali as part of Operation Barkhane with the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF).
THeMIS was first used in Mali in April 2019, to help French and Estonian soldiers carry out counter-terrorism missions and to transport supplies within their bases.
Lt Col Sten Allik, Senior Staff Officer of the EDF, said: ‘The opportunity to bring along a half-tonne of ammunition and water to places unreachable with an PC added great value to patrols and enhanced combat capability… The THeMIS surprised us with its ability to withstand the tough environment.’
During its time in Mali, the THeMIS travelled more than 1,200km across terrain of lava rock soil and in temperatures reaching 50°C in shade. The UGV was operational for more than 330 hours in total.
Shephard reported last month that the French Army has conducted experiments to integrate the MBDA MMP missile with THeMIS.
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